Osteopathic physicians who complete 84 months of neurosurgery training in an ACGME accredited program are eligible for ABNS certification through the same process as allopathic physicians from ACGME-accredited neurosurgery training programs.

Osteopathic Physicians who complete residency training in non-ACGME accredited programs are not eligible to become ABNS certified unless they complete 84 months of training, with at least 54 months in an ACGME-accredited program. This requires additional years at an ACGME-accredited neurosurgery program.

For osteopathic physicians who began residency in an AOA-accredited neurosurgery program that transitioned to ACGME accreditation during their training, the following applies:

• Residents who began training in AOA accredited programs that transitioned to ACGME accreditation, and who spent at least 54 months in the program once ACGME-accredited (with 84 total months of training), are considered to have fulfilled the core neurosurgical training requirement and may participate in the standard ABNS certification process.
• Residents who began training in AOA accredited programs three to six years prior to conversion to ACGME accreditation of their program must spend at least 24 months training in the newly ACGME-accredited program to participate in the ABNS certification process, with the following conditions:
  • Complete 84 months of training, including 54 months of core neurological surgery training.
  • Complete all training at the program that converted from AOA to ACGME accreditation.
  • Meet or exceed all ACGME neurological surgery case minimum requirements and pass the ABNS written exam during residency.
  • Note:
    • The program director must inform the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Neurological Surgery of the request to the ABNS.
    • This exception only applies to residents in AOA programs that converted to ACGME accreditation on or before June 30, 2020.
• Residents who began training in an AOA accredited program and spend less than 24 months in the newly ACGME-accredited program can become eligible for ABNS certification only by completing at least 84 months of total training, with at least 54 months in an ACGME-accredited program. This can be accomplished through additional years either at their newly ACGME-accredited program or at another ACGME-accredited program.